Wittgenstein Elegies

New and revised edition of an early work by the Governor General’s Award-winning poet.

On the occasion of the press’s 40th anniversary, Brick Books is proud to present the last of our six new editions of classic books from our back catalogue. This edition ofWittgenstein Elegies features an expansive Introduction by Sue Sinclair, a new Afterword by the author and a new cover and design by the renowned typographer Robert Bringhurst.

First published in 1986, Wittgenstein Elegies is a polyphonic poem in five parts. It establishes the parameters of a long conversation between logic and the lyre that has continued over multiple books and in multiple genres. Long out of print, this revised edition is both a must-have for Zwicky’s readers and a perfect introduction to her work.

"Here was the one guy in recent history who appeared to have got it right and he was being taught all wrong. I wroteWittgenstein Elegiesin an attempt to respond to this state of affairs. I wanted to draw attention to the unity of Wittgenstein’s life and work. I hoped to show how profoundly he experienced the moral dimensions of language’s relation to the world." --Jan Zwicky, from the Afterword

"Zwicky shows us that there is a way of speaking that leaves room for what cannot be spoken." --Sue Sinclair, from the Introduction